Sunrise (book)/Chapter 26
Chapter description :Foxpaw calls out to Lionblaze and Jayfeather that Whitewing's kits are coming, and Brightheart tells Jayfeather that Leafpool needs him. Jayfeather thinks that he would rather go back to sleep, but enters the den to assist Leafpool, taking note of Birchfall outside the nursery, clawing at the grass nervously. Although Leafpool sounds calm, she whispers into Jayfeather's ear that she is worried Whitewing will not have enough strength to deliver her kits. :Jayfeather puts his paw on Whitewing's belly and is able to feel two heartbeats. He announces this, and encourages Whitewing to keep going. He quietly murmurs encouragement to the unborn kits, saying that they are almost there. His mind suddenly slides into Whitewing's, and he hears a vision snarl and lolling tongues, as if Whitewing is imagining them being mauled by dogs like Brightheart had been. He hears the screams of cats from other Clans, sees blood dripping in pelts, and feels his belly raw with hunger in a forest covered with snow. :Appalled, Jayfeather's mind reels, surprised that a queen can imagine their kits' entire lives before they were born. He senses Whitewing's terror, and leans towards her, murmuring that her daughters will be fine, and will be loved and protected by their Clanmates. He strokes her belly, and tells her it is time. He feels ripples pass through her belly, and the two kits are born successfully. Leafpool greets the two kits, and welcomes them to ThunderClan. She comments that one of the kits was tiny but strong, and encourages the two to go to their mother. Whitewing purrs that they are beautiful, and thanks the medicine cats for their assistance in her birth. :He calls Birchfall, telling him to meet her daughters. Birchfall enters, asking if Whitewing is okay, and then sees his kits. He thanks StarClan, and comments that the kits are beautiful. Jayfeather crouches next to Leafpool, wondering if she had felt the same when he was born. He asks himself if his father felt the same joy. He wants to talk to Leafpool, to hear her side of the story, and hear the truth. Due to them working closely together, he feels as if the moment is possible, and says her name. Leafpool orders him to fetch strengthening herbs, and the moment is gone. Jayfeather agrees, and when he returns with the herbs, he goes to eat, hearing the cats talk about Whitewing. :Ferncloud says that it is hard to give birth to kits in leaf-bare, and praises Whitewing for doing a good job. Mousefur adds that she will raise them well, sounding less grouchy than usual. She says that Whitewing is one of the best cats in the Clan, as when she was an apprentice, she always made sure that the elders had fresh moss, and that it was dry as well. Dustpelt jokes that they will have to be careful when the kits leave the nursery, as they have Cloudtail's blood, and they all know what a hard time he gave Firestar when he was a kit. Cloudtail snorts, saying they were fine warriors and he will claw anyone who says otherwise. :Jayfeather notices that Hollyleaf and Lionblaze are listening to the cheerful talk in silence. He senses that all of them feel cut off from one another. Brackenfur approaches Jayfeather, flicking his ear playfully. He tells him that he remembers when he and his siblings were kits, saying it was a wonder that any of them survived to be apprentices, even after chasing foxes. The happiness of the Clan is too much for Jayfeather to bear, and without talking to his littermates, he goes to his den. :Jayfeather, curled up in his nest, hears the sound of pawsteps behind him. He looks up, seeing Yellowfang. She drops a long, dark feather on his nest. Yellowfang tells him that the time for lies and secrets are over, and it is time for the truth to come out. She tells him that StarClan was wrong not to tell him who he was long ago. Jayfeather is confused, but he realizes that Yellowfang had already faded. He wakes up, angry, wondering why any cat can't speak straight. He realizes that Yellowfang had told him all he needed to know, and feels for the feather that Yellowfang had brought him. He pictures how it had gleamed black in the moonlight in which he had seen Yellowfang, and is hit with the realization that Yellowfang had brought him a crow's feather. :Jayfeather gets out of his den to look for Lionblaze, who is annoyed that his brother woke him up in the middle of the night. Jayfeather hisses that it is important, and orders him to get Hollyleaf. Lionblaze wakes up Hollyleaf, and the three siblings go into the forest. They go towards the WindClan border, in which Hollyleaf sits down, telling Jayfeather that she is not moving until he explains, as it is too cold. He tells him that he knows who their father is - that it is Crowfeather. His siblings sit together in shock, and Jayfeather is hit by a wave of emotions that were so complicated that Jayfeather could not understand. :Hollyleaf asks if they are half-Clan, and Lionblaze queries of how Jayfeather knows about this. Jayfeather explains how Yellowfang had brought him a crow's feather in his dream, and Hollyleaf tries to search for an explanation, but all cats know that there cannot be a clearer explanation than this. They know that there was no point in trying to pretend that the sign wasn't true. Lionblaze asks if Crowfeather knew about this, and Hollyleaf adds that it might be why Leafpool had kept them a secret. Jayfeather tells him that he doesn't know, and that they must find Crowfeather. :As Jayfeather is walking, he is thoroughly confused, wondering how this could happen, knowing that Leafpool was a medicine cat, and Crowfeather was a WindClan warrior. He knows that they could've never been together, and wonders how he, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf could've been apart of the prophecy when they should have never been born. Hollyleaf sees a WindClan patrol consisting of Owlwhisker, Gorsetail, and Weaselfur. Lionblaze warns his siblings to stay back, telling him that he is going to talk to them. Jayfeather protests, but Lionblaze is already going to them. :Owlwhisker demands to know what Lionblaze is doing, and Lionblaze, all of his emotions in his voice, commands him to fetch Crowfeather now. Weaselfur asks him why he is telling them what to do, and Gorsetail tells Lionblaze to get back to his own territory before they rip his fur off. Lionblaze growls, and his fur fluffs up which makes him appear twice his size. He repeats his order again, and Owlwhisker sounds scared this time as he obeys Lionblaze's command. Crowfeather comes, and asks the three what they want. Jayfeather finds himself unable to speak, and Hollyleaf takes a deep breath. However, Lionblaze is not hesitant, and tells Crowfeather that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are not their parents. He tells Crowfeather that Leafpool is their mother, and he is their father. :Crowfeather pauses, and tells Lionblaze not to be a mouse-brain, as that is impossible. He sounds extremely certain, leading Jayfeather to believe that he wasn't really their father. He steps into Crowfeather's mind, and sees Leafpool clinging to the edge of the stone hollow, with Crowfeather over her. He sees Crowfeather grabbing her scruff, and bringing her up to safety. The next scene he witnesses is Leafpool and Crowfeather underneath a bush, with Crowfeather persuading her to run away with him. Then, he sees the two walking together, talking to Midnight. He hears Leafpool say that she needs to go back. He then sees badgers attacking the ThunderClan camp, while Crowfeather and Leafpool make their way into it. :In the last scene he experiences is Crowfeather and Leafpool facing each other in the aftermath of the battle. Crowfeather tells her that her heart laid in ThunderClan, and not with him - that it never was with him. Jayfeather lets go of Crowfeather's thoughts, and knows that Yellowfang had not lied to him. Jayfeather asks if Crowfeather knew, and Crowfeather, sounding dazed, replies that he didn't. His voice then grows harder as he tells Jayfeather that he has only one mate, Nightcloud, and only one son, Breezepelt. He tells them that he doesn't know why they came back and told him these lies, and orders them to go home and never comes back. He adds that he doesn't care about ThunderClan cats, and that they mean nothing to him. Both Hollyleaf and Lionblaze are shocked by Crowfeather's harsh words, but Jayfeather faces him. He tells his father that the truth is out and they cannot hide from it. Characters Major *Crowfeather }} Minor *Lionblaze *Hollyleaf *Owlwhisker *Gorsetail *Weaselfur *Whitewing *Birchfall *Foxpaw *Brightheart *Leafpool *Brackenfur *Dustpelt *Cloudtail *Brightheart *Daisy *Millie }} Mentioned *Brambleclaw *Midnight *Firestar }} Notes and references Category:Power of Three arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:Sunrise